Seoul Subway Line 6 is a line of the

Seoul Metropolitan Subway The Seoul Metropolitan Subway is a metropolitan railway system consisting of 23 rapid transit, light metro, commuter rail and people mover lines located in northwest South Korea. The system serves most of the Seoul Metropolitan Area including ...

. The route connects

Eunpyeong-gu Eunpyeong District (은평구, ''Eunpyeong-gu'') is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. Eunpyeong has a population of 450,583 (2010) and has a geographic area of 29.7 km2 (11.5 sq mi), and is divided into 16 '' dong'' (administrative ...

and

Jungnang-gu Jungnang District (Jungnang-gu) is one of the 25 ''gu'', or districts, of Seoul, South Korea. It is located on the north side of the Han River. It is characterized by a typical residential area with many natural green areas such as Yongma, Mang ...

in a U-shaped manner, running through

Yongsan-gu Yongsan District (, ) is one of the 25 List of districts of Seoul, districts of Seoul, South Korea. Yongsan has a population of 231,685 (2020) and has a geographic area of , and is divided into 19 ''Dong (administrative division), dong'' (adminis ...

and

Seongbuk-gu Seongbuk District (Seongbuk-gu) is one of the 25 ''Administrative Divisions of South Korea, gu'' which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. It is located in the mid-north part of the city. The current Mayor is Kim Young-bae (김영배), who has ...

. It does not cross the Han River. It is mainly used to connect to the northern outskirts of Seoul and to relieve the traffic on other lines. The line primarily operates in the section between Eungam and Sinnae, though some trains end one station before at Bonghwasan. When a train arrives at Eungam, it runs through what is commonly known as the "Eungam Loop," a one-way counterclockwise loop consisting of several stations. After going through the stations of the Eungam Loop, the train reaches Eungam again, from which it continues to Bonghwasan or Sinnae.

History

The line started construction in 1994. A short section of the line from Bonghwasan to Sangwolgok opened in August 2000 while the remaining section opened in December of the same year. However, it was not until March 2001 that the whole line was fully operational when the four stations from

Itaewon Itaewon (; IPA ) is multi-cultural commercial area located in Seoul, South Korea. it is one of the most popular neighborhoods in Seoul, known for its nightlife and trendy restaurants. Etymology The name Itaewon was originally derived from the n ...

to Yaksu were opened. Upon the opening of the electrified

Gyeongchun Line The Gyeongchun Line is a regional rail line between Seoul and Chuncheon, South Korea, operated by Korail. Its name is derived from Gyeong (, meaning the capital, Seoul) and ''Chuncheon''. It was completely reconstructed in the 2000s. Service on it ...

in December 2010, Seoul Metro proposed extending the line 1 km eastward to connect to the

at a new Sinnae station, located in the current Sinnae Depot. Construction on the station started in late 2018 and the extension opened on December 21, 2019. In 2019, Line 6 had an annual ridership of 205 million or about 560,000 people per day.

Tourism

In January 2013, the

Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation (SMRT) was established in 1994 to operate the Seoul Subway lines 5, 6, 7, 8 in Seoul, South Korea. The corporation operated a total of 201 subway trains at 148 stations on lines 5-8. The operatio ...

, which operates this line, published free guidebooks in three languages: English, Japanese and Chinese (simplified and traditional), which features eight tours as well as recommendations for accommodations, restaurants and shopping centers. These were distributed from information centers on this line. The tours are designed with different themes for travel along the subway lines, e.g. Korean traditional culture, which goes from

Jongno 3-ga Station Jongno 3(sam)-ga Station is an underground station on lines 1, 3 and 5 of the Seoul Subway in South Korea. In December 2010 the station is recorded as having the fifth highest WiFi data consumption of all the Seoul Metropolitan Subway stations ...

to Anguk Station and Gyeongbokgung Station on line No 3 that showcases antique shops and art galleries of

Insa-dong Insa-dong is a ''dong'', or neighborhood in the Jongno-gu district of Seoul. The main street is Insadong-gil, which is connected to a multitude of alleys that lead deeper into the district,David Armstrong (June 3, 2007)''SEOUL lives life on the e ...

Stations

Rolling stock

Current

Seoul Metro

Seoul Metro 6000 series The Seoul Metro 6000 series is a commuter train introduced by the Seoul Transportation Corporation from 1999 to 2000 with the opening of Seoul Subway Line 6. Currently, a total of 39 8-car trains (312 total units) are in operation on Seoul Subway L ...

** 1st generation – since 1999 File:운행종료 후 기지로 입고되는 서울도시철도 6호선 6000호대 621편성.JPG, Seoul Metro 6000-series EMU